


She Said 'No'

by TrueCrossGhoul



Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: Dates!, F/M, Like, M/M, Music, ON STRING?!?!???, Oh you feel sad, Renzou is a music hoe, Rin has the mouth of a fuckign sailor when he's exited God damn, Shima is the nicest little shit, Spoiler alert- Shiemi is a lesbian, Yukio is the supportive bro, everyone is gay!, flower shop au, is thIS MR. BRIGHTSIDE???, jk he just really ships rinshi, lemme hug you, pretty much, text me when you get home
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-09
Updated: 2016-08-09
Packaged: 2018-08-07 18:20:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7724923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrueCrossGhoul/pseuds/TrueCrossGhoul
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Today was the day, Rin decided, that he would ask Shiemi out. Shiemi, the precious, fragile, flower child who deserved nothing but love and happiness. Shiemi, the strong willed woman who didn't back away from battle, even when nothing was going right. Shiemi, the girl who Rin had been in love with since they met.</p><p>When he returns to the flower shop after he talks to Shiemi, he has only one thing on his mind. </p><p> </p><p>  <em>"She said no."</em></p>
            </blockquote>





	She Said 'No'

**Author's Note:**

> I told myself that I wouldn't reference one of my other fanfics... But what the hell. The book that Renzou reads is 'Flames'... By me...(it's a BonRin fic). I changed the names to 'Haruka' & 'Alex', because those are two of the names that Rin likes in Flames. Hehe. End my life, I'm such a nerd.

Today was the day, Rin decided, that he would ask Shiemi out. Shiemi, the precious, fragile, flower child who deserved nothing but love and happiness. Shiemi, the strong willed woman who didn't back away from battle, even when nothing was going right. Shiemi, the girl who Rin had been in love with since they met. Yukio had to eventually talk him into asking her out. Rin was against the idea at first, but secretly the navy-haired teen was glad that this brother was giving him a push in the right direction. 

He was reluctant to leave the house at first, but once Rin was out the door, there was no stopping him. The kid was a burning ball of energy, after all. Wearing his nicest clothes that Yukio helped him pick out, He walked into a flower shop near where he asked Shiemi to meet up with him to 'talk'. Since Shiemi loved flowers, he found it fitting to get her a bouquet of some sort. Well, technically that would be proper manners if you were to ask any girl out, but still. 

The first thing Rin noticed when he walked into the flower shop was the sudden sweet aroma of flowers. The second thing he noticed made Rin curse under his breath. The employee reading a book behind the counter was really, really hot. Rin gulped and averted his eyes. The only person he had ever liked was Shiemi, and he had only met her around two years ago, then began to grow feelings for her about eight or nine months ago. The poor boy had gone almost eighteen years without feeling any love, aside from familial love of course. love was a relatively new emotion to the boy. The emotion took him by surprise as he employee set his book down with a smile.

"Can I help you with anything?" He asked in a sweet voice to match the sweet smells around him. Rin mentally kicked himself for being distracted.

"Uh, y-yeah. I'm g-going to ask a girl out on a date a-and I need flowers." Rin stuttered. He mentally kicked himself again. The employee giggled at Rin's embarrassing statement.

"Of course. Here, let me help you pick something out." The employee, whose name tag read 'Renzou Shima' grinned. Rin thanked him, and they set to work.

After about fifteen minutes, Rin had his bouquet. Renzou had been a huge help, and even gave Rin a small discount. As Rin payed, he was beginning to get very nervous. The boy's hands wouldn't stop shaking, no matter how many times he commanded them to stop. He wasn't sure if he was nervous about asking out Shiemi, or if he was nervous about being near Renzou. Apparently, The pink-haired boy noticed Rin's struggle and decided to brighten the mood a bit. 

"Hey, how about you swing back around later and tell me how your date went?" He suggested, forcing back a dissapointed look when he realized that Rin might not play for the same team as him. Or even if he was bisexual, he wouldn't be single for long if everything went well. He couldn't let Rin- or anyone, for that matter- know that he had fallen head over heels for the boy standing in front of him. The truth is, Renzou had seen Rin on multiple occasions on the street or in the cafe nearby. So often, in fact, that Renzou has had a crush on Rin for months. 

"Oh, sure! Alright, have a good day, I'll see you later maybe!" Rin said excitedly as he finished paying. Renzou handed him his flowers with a smile. 

"Okay, good luck!" Renzou smiled at Rin as he found his way to the door. 

"Thank you!" Rin called back with a bright grin. With a determined mindset, Rin made his way to the spot he was supposed to meet Shiemi.

**-X-**

An hour or two had passed since Rin had bought his flowers from the Shima family's flower shop, and Renzou was beginning to grow bored. A couple questions popped into his head. _How was Rin's date going? Did she say yes? Is he happy?_

He hoped that Rin was happy above all else. 

Pushing the thoughts aside, He picked his book up and read it on his elevated stool behind the counter. If any customers came in, he would be able to see them perfectly from where he was, so long as he wasn't too invested in his book. So far, he has loved it. It was hard to explain what it was about, though.

The back of the book read:

_"Alex does something recklessly stupid after he got drunk at a party one night, landing his brother in the hospital for a few days with a broken arm. All is fine and well, except Alex should be dead. He somehow survived an almost head on collision, suffering many serious injuries. Not even the doctors know how he survived._

_When Alex finds out that he is in fact a demon, he wants to join an organization to help fight them. Luckily, his brother helps him gain control of his powers, and he is admitted into True Cross Organization for demon fighting and exorcisms. There, he sees a man who he thought had forgot about him. After a drunken mistake, they learn that they can't live without each other._

_The only problem is, he is in love with someone else. Or, at least he thinks he is. Alex's emotions are almost as uncontrollable as his flames as he falls in love with two completely different people. What will he do when one asks him out? What will he say when the other kisses him? Will he be able to choose a side? And what will happen when the two learn about his family secret?"_

It was interesting, he liked the book, but he wasn't much of a reader. Renzou was more of a movie/music kind of guy. Something stimulating always needed to be happening, or he would constantly find himself distracted. Speaking of, the lack of music in the shop bored him to death, to the point where he was considering playing his own music from his phone out loud. He cursed himself for breaking his earbuds accidentally. 

A sigh escaped his partly opened lips as he closed his eyes and book. He just wished he could talk to somebody about all this. About Rin, about his sexuality, about everything. He has known that he has been gay for years, but still hasn't come out to anyone yet. It's not that anyone he knew was homophobic, but it was still hard. He couldn't even talk to people about how he likes Rin without coming out to them first, and that was a step he just wasn't ready to take yet. He slowly opened his eyes and tilted his head back so he was staring at the ceiling. That was about as interesting as anything else he could think of at the moment. 

Renzou did want to continue reading, but he just couldn't. Not without music. His mind kept wandering without it. 

"Ugh..." He groaned as he took out his phone and pressed play on a random playlist he made a while back. He knew that he would get in trouble for playing his music out loud again, but he didn't care. He couldn't take the silence any longer. After setting his phone down on he counter, volume on low, Renzou took out his book and opened it to the marked page.

_Haruka was the one to break the silence. "Ugh man, have you ever really wanted to kiss someone but can't?!" He whined as a new layer of pink dusted his cheeks._

_My palms were sweating oceans. I looked away as the words, "Well, what's stopping you?" Escaped from my mouth. I didn’t have time to react as he pulled me into him and placed his lips against mine. My eyes fluttered closed instinctively, and my hand gently found it's place on his shoulder. He pulled away first._

_"Is this okay?" He asked, his hands on my shoulders._

_"This is more than okay." I laughed as I pulled him closer so I could kiss him again. I reveled in the feeling of Haruka's lips working against mine in a mixture of both gentle sweetness and passionate desperation. I shivered as I attempted to taste as much of Haruka's lips as I could. My stomach was full of butterflies as if I was dropping from a ten thousand foot rollercoaster drop_

Renzou wished that his life had more romance in it. More of anything, really. Life was bland when you work for your parents and never leave your community.

He had made up his mind.

If Rin's date doesn't go as planned, he would ask him out. Not like a _'you're in a weak state so I'm going to take advantage of you',_ but more like _'I have waited so long and you are finally right here'. ___

No going back.

He got back to his book, then set it down and dozed off in a spitting position on his stool.

**-X-**

The chimes at the door woke Renzou with a start. He nearly fell off his stool when he realized that he fell asleep again while working. 

"Welcome to Shima's flower shop!" Renzou called to the customer as he steadied himself on this stood and rubbed his eyes. The air around him felt heavy.

"Hey, Renzou." A familiar voice greeted, thick with sadness, as though he would burst into tears any second. Renzou's eyes focused on the boy in front of him. Rin. His eyes were glassy and stuck on the floor. It made Renzou's heart break. What happened to him?

"H-hey, are you alright?" Renzou asked frantically as he flittered around the counter to Rin's side. A tear fell down Rin's face as he looked away.

"She said no." Rin responded as he wiped the tear away. A dull ache spread through Renzou's chest, and he had to fight back tears. Without thinking, he enveloped Rin in his arms. 

"I'm sorry." He apologized as Rin buried his face in Renzou's shoulder. 

"Do you accept returns on flowers?" Rin sniffled.

"No, but I can take you out on a date instead." Renzou asked as he let go of Rin, a blush spread across his face. Rin's face turned as pink as Renzou's hair.

"W-wait _what?!_ " Rin squawked, startled. Renzou crossed his arms and looked away.

"Sorry.. I sh-"

"Y-yeah I'll go out with you!" Rin exclaimed as he grabbed Renzou's hand. Renzou laughed and looked into Rin's eyes, full of hope.

"Wait seriously? I was totally building myself up to be shut down there!" Renzou giggled. 

"Yes seriously! And I-I'm not just... Going out with you because I'm sad about Shiemi. I do like you." Rin explained. "I think."

"Well that's better than nothing! My shift will be ending in a few minutes, want to go out after I clock out?"

"Sure!"

**-X-**

Their date was simple and light hearted. Nothing that they had to put much thought or effort into. Rin picked out a restaurant that they both liked. They sat beside eachother on the patio as they ate and made polite conversation. Rin explained how their date went wrong, and ended up laughing about it. Shiemi had wanted to talk to Rin about something as well, but it wasn't about asking him out. 

"She has a girlfriend." Rin laughed. "That's amazing! I'm so happy for her, although I'm kind of bummed that she said no. But, that would mean that I would never have gone out with you! This has been a really fun night so far." 

"Totally. I'm glad you finally came into the shop. I've had my eyes on you for a long time." Renzou laughed lightly, his arm resting on Rin's chair. Rin's heart fluttered, heating up his cheeks. 

"R-really? you have?" 

"Yeah... You're kind of a regular at the cafe next door, and I always hang out there after my shifts. I actually see you a lot, but today is the first time we've ever talked."

"I suppose you're right." Rin smiled softly, before leaning into Renzou. "Sorry about that..."

Renzou rested his head on Rin's. "That's okay, it's mostly my fault. I should have initiated a conversation sooner." He sighed. A speaker mounted on the wall played a soft melody, just loud enough to be heard. Not loud enough to drown out a conversation. The tune was vaguely familiar, but Renzou couldn't quite put his finger on it. It was a composition made entirely out of strings, but he recognized something about the tune. Around thirty seconds into the song, Rin shot up with wide eyes, forcing Renzou's head off of him.

"Is this... Are they fucking playing Mr.Brightside on strings? Is this Mr.Brightside? On STRINGS?" Rin exclaimed, waving his hands about and staring into Renzou's eyes. Now that Rin had mentioned it, Renzou realized it as well.

"Holy shit..." Renzou said in a monotone voice. He stared at the speaker with squinted eyes. "I think you're right..."

"Oh my god!" Rin yelped, resulting in a few questioning glances from the people nearby. "This is Mr-Fucking-Brightside!! I fucking love this song! Holy shit!!" Rin squealed, lowering his volume so the people around us wouldn't get annoyed.

"Oh yeah, I like it too. The strings are pretty nice." Renzou noted. Rin settled down, realizing that he was probably being quite irritating. The continued their date, split the bill, and walked back to the Shima family's flower shop, since Renzou and his family lived in the upstairs half of the building. Rin's house was nearby anyways. 

"Thanks for tonight, it was really fun!" Rin exclaimed as Renzou stopped by his door.

"Oh yeah, for sure! We should exchange phone numbers though, so we can keep in touch." Renzou suggested. 

"O-Oh yeah..." Rin stuttered, unable to hide a blush from forming on his cheeks. Renzou noticed the redness and giggled. After exchanging numbers, Renzou put a hand on Rin's shoulder.

"We should go out again." He said softly.

"Yeah, for sure." Rin responded in the same tone. They stood for a while, silent, staring into eachother's eyes. Rin was the first to move, by pulling Renzou into a tight hug. Renzou's arms found their place around Rin's waist, and Rin's loosely around Renzou's neck. They stood together wrapped in eachother's arms for a long time, Though it felt like no time at all had passed when they parted.

As they parted, however, they didn't let go of eachother. Their arms were still wrapped around the other, as if they were clinging onto a floaty in the middle of the ocean. They stared into eachother's eyes, both of them too cowardly to say anything or break apart. After what seemed like forever, Rin gently closed the distance between the two boys' lips. Renzou jerked back at first, surprised at Rin's actions.

"S-sorry... Just surprised me is all." Renzou mumbled as he looked away. _Did I hurt Rin's feelings by doing that just now?_

"No, I-it's okay, I should've have done that...The uh, the timing just seemed right..." Rin muttered, embarrassed. _Did I just make it awkward?_

Renzou giggled, then gently tilted Rin's face up to his. He gently placed his lips on Rin's, and the navy-haired teen took the action as an affirmation that what he did was not wrong. Their lips moved together in harmony for a moment, before Rin broke apart.

"I should be getting back." He smiled, arms swinging down by his side. Renzou scratched the back of his head and looked away.

"Y-yeah, sorry to keep you out so late..." He giggled. Rin did as well. "Do you want me to walk you back to your place? It's no trouble."

"I live, like, two blocks away. Thanks though!" Rin laughed with a smile.

"Well then, I'll let you go. Text me when you get home so I know you're safe, okay?" Renzou took Rin's hand.

"O-okay, I will. I'll see you later!" Rin said as he took his hand back and began walking, Renzou waving behind him. 

**-X-**

"how was your date with Shiemi?" Yukio asked as Rin closed the front door to their apartment. Rin had texted Shima before he walked in, to which he replied with _'Okay that's great! <3 <3 talk to you later!!!' _The hearts made Rin blush and smile out of control. "Good?"

"No, it was terrible!" Rin laughed, face buried in his phone as he texted Renzou back. Yukio raised an eyebrow in Rin's direction, confused with his obvious love struck glee. "She's a lesbian." 

"So why were you out so late then?"

"I was on a date."

"With... With a lesbian?"

"N-no, his name is Renzou!" Rin squealed. 

"Oh, awesome. And you're happy?" Yukio asked with a yawn. Rin considered it for a moment. He knew he was happy, but he felt something else too. After learning about Shiemi's sexuality, he felt as though he didn't have a single chance with her. Of course, he was right, but the realization made him fall out of love with her. He felt relieved, since he had liked her for so long. Like a huge weight had been lifted from him. With all of that, plus his amazing date, he was certain. He was certain that he was happy, that he wasn't sad about Shiemi saying no.

"I am."

**Author's Note:**

> I told myself that this would only be a oneshot, but i might be adding more chapters... I might also go back and change Mr.Brightside on strings to The Scientist on piano... ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ 
> 
>  
> 
> Comments are always appreciated! If you want to get ahold of me for requests, questions, etc. you can message me on my tumblr, @TrueCrossGhoul


End file.
